Unless otherwise indicated herein, the materials described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
Various configurations of battery packs are known for housing a plurality of energy-storing cells. Typically, the cells are fitted internally into containers, such as the cell canisters 102 of FIG. 1. In addition to cell canisters 102, typical battery packs include a module container 104, a module assembly 106, cooling channels 108, a cell supervisory controller (CSC) 110, and a traceboard 112. Thus, conventional battery packs contain a large amount of materials that do not contribute to energy capacity.
Some multicell sealed rechargeable batteries include an open mouth container and a closure member attached to the container at its mouth. In addition to the mouth, the materials used to form the container typically allow external moisture to penetrate the container. This penetration of external moisture may compromise a performance of the cells.
Therefore, there exists a need for a battery apparatus that minimizes the amount of inactive components, and can monitor and communicate conditions of individual cells.